The purpose of this research is to determine the nature of the enzymatic mechanisms responsible for the biosynthesis of O-alkyl and O-alky-l-enyl ether bonds in glycerolipids, which are prevalent in cancer cells. The problem is being approached from the point of view of identifying each component of the membrane-bound enzymes involved and then reconstituting the native system. The enzymatic properties are being evaluated by chemical, physical, kinetic, and immunologcal techniques. Detergents and trypsin are being employed to determine compartmentalization of the various enzymes of the "ether" pathway in the microsomal membrane vesicles where they reside. These also include the investigation of specific inhibitors (analogs of precursors) of key enzymes involved in the metabolism of ether lipids.